FWC, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service form plan to help “confused” sea turtles in Flagler County

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to find a solution after reports of “wayward” sea turtles on a Flagler County beach.

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Flagler County officials say they’ve received reports of sea turtles crawling on top of the new sand dunes in a U.S. Army Corp of Engineers construction project area.

The reports express concerns that the turtles may use the dunes to wander onto State Road A1A.

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“We are working closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service right now to take preventative measures for turtles that may crawl up onto the new dune so they don’t go onto the road,” Coastal Engineering Administrator Ansley Wren-Key said.

According to Wren-Key, FWC approved the design of the dune slope, which was meant to be too steep for the turtles to climb up.

“They’re apparently able to do so,” Wren-Key continued.

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Flagler County officials met with the FWC, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Army Corps of Engineers to discuss additional barriers that can prevent sea turtles from climbing the dunes.

The solution they devised calls for a modification to the Corps of Engineers contract to accelerate the completion of permanent sand fencing in the area. If it can’t be done in time, temporary slit fending will be installed until it can be removed and replaced with permanent sand fencing.

Flagler County officials say the dimensions of the permanent sand fencing will also be modified so that the slats of the fence will be three feet above ground and embedded 10 to 12 inches below ground, satisfying requirements for both sea turtles and gopher tortoises.

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Their goal is to have the slit fence mimic the modified design of the sand fence until the permanent sand fending can be installed.

“Once the wide beach is built, these sea turtles will have more habitat to lay their eggs and nest,” Wren-Key said. “On other nourished beaches in Florida, statistics show that nesting activity increases – and the mortality rate decreases – as more nesting areas are provided and the nests are not washed out with high tides and storms, which can be a hazard for nests on narrow beaches.”

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